Should the Las Vegas Raiders trade for Odell Beckham Jr.?

With the team heading to Las Vegas, the Raiders need more firepower at the wide receiver position, as they struggled to find a WR1 in 2019.

The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of needs heading into the 2020 NFL season, including at the top of their depth chart at the wide receiver position. Luckily for them, they have a ton of cap space, and some great draft capital, which should be huge thanks to the fact this draft class is loaded with wide receiver talent.

While the odds are the Raiders will address this need in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, one outlet feels Las Vegas should swing a trade for a disgruntled wideout from the Cleveland Browns.

In a recent piece by Chris Roling from Bleacher Report, he has the Raiders pulling off a blockbuster trade for Beckham’s services. The trade has the Raiders sending Tyrell Williams and a first round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Odell’s services, a move that would certainly land Las Vegas their coveted WR1.

The issue with this trade is that Beckham has had his issues in the past, whether it has been with the New York Giants, or the Browns, and the Raiders are trying to change the culture inside the locker room. Sure, he is a great guy around his teammates, and can be uber-productive at the wide receiver position, but do the Raiders really want to pull the trigger on another wideout with behavioral issues.

In his only season in Cleveland, Beckham appeared in 16 games, making 15 starts, but had his second-lowest total in terms of receptions with 74. He hauled in only four touchdowns, averaged a career-low 64.7 yards per game, and had only 1,035 yards, his second-lowest of his career as well.

The only other year where he did not produce at a high level was back in 2017, where he missed all but four games.

Beckham came into the league on fire, making three straight Pro Bowls, and becoming one of the more productive wide receivers we have ever seen. However, since making the Pro Bowl in 2016, he has yet to return, and has been in the news more for not wanting to be somewhere than actually helping his team win.

Last year, the Raiders rolled the dice on Antonio Brown, and it was a move that blew up in the team’s face. I am not sure Las Vegas will want to bring in another diva wide receiver, but you never know how the brain of Jon Gruden works.

One thing is for sure, this Raiders team needs a weapon atop their depth chart at wide receiver, and if Beckham wants to be on this team, it would be nothing but a blessing for quarterback Derek Carr. In my opinion, the Raiders should look to this loaded draft class to add a true WR1, and spend their money on bolstering the defense, not bringing in a wide receiver with a hefty price tag.